Page 84 of The Rogue's Curse

Shoshanna beamed a smile at him. “I’ll ask Alistair to bring my sketches when he comes in tonight. It’ll still take me some time to build a spell for you, but not as long as the others since I have the schematic mostly done. And between my things and all the stuff in this workshop, we have everything we need. It was meant to be.”

Paris looked up and met Misha’s eyes. The other man just smiled, like he knew some amusing secret.

Why wasn’t he protesting? Why wasn’t he resisting?

Could it be…

Could it truly be that Misha cared for him just as he was? That he saw the mess and the raw places and jagged edges and wasn’t afraid? They’d known each other for such a short time, but it somehow felt like these last few days and the three hundred years prior were equally long and full of life.

Shoshanna set her phone aside after sending a text and said, “In the interest of efficiency, why don’t you two carry on with whatever you needed to do tonight? As soon as Alistair arrives, I’ll call you.”

She smiled and left them behind, leaving Paris to stare at Misha. “Are you okay?” Misha asked.

“Are you? You didn’t ask for this. For me,” Paris asked. After all that Misha had been through, it felt wrong to shove him into a relationship. Frasier had forced him to be a witch, the blood witches had forced him into serving their coven, the Crown had forced him into being their attack dog, and now this?

Misha chuckled and said, “Maybe I did ask. Aren’t we all asking for someone that can see us for who we are and lo– care for us?” His eyes met Paris’s, and all he could hear was that barely caught love in the air. A smile crept across the other man’s face. “Besides, I’ve just been given the go-ahead by destiny to take you to bed again.”

He couldn’t help laughing. “Nothing shakes you,” he said.

“Ah, that’s not true. But being told that I was chosen for you… That’s worth celebrating.” He granted Paris a soft, sweet kiss, then pulled away with a sigh. “I’m afraid we’ll have to wait until later to celebrate properly.”

Paris glanced at his watch and swore. “I was supposed to call Jonas Wynn. Hold on a moment,” he said. Jonas had been helping keep watch while Shoshanna traced the magic around the perimeter of Shea’s territory. They’d been tentatively planning to visit Diana Goodwin, the owner of the funeral home, that night.

When Olivia had sent her urgent message to return to deal with Misha, he’d told Jonas he’d call him later. He took out his phone and called the dhampir hunter.

Jonas answered after two rings. “Everything okay?”

Paris glanced at Misha, then nodded. “We’re fine. Plans changed.”

“Are we still trying to speak to the Goodwin woman tonight?”

He nodded. “Let’s do it. I’ll meet you there in forty-five minutes.”

He hung up and took Misha’s hand. “I’m going to take care of this. Please just stay here and let Shoshanna help. Don’t sleep. I’ll be back soon.”

“I could come with you,” Misha said.

Paris shook his head. “I’ll be fine with Jonas. You keep working on your spells to deal with Shea. Let’s not waste any time.”

Misha nodded solemnly. “I’m on it.”

* * *

Despite ordering Misha to keep working on dealing with Shea, Paris could think of nothing but soulmate soulmate my GOD is this real the entire drive out to the suburbs to meet Jonas. He’d recruited Kristina to come along, and surprisingly, Sasha hadn’t insisted on coming. He was out hunting with Nikko, scouting the bars and nightclubs in a perimeter around Shea’s territory. Perhaps knowing Kristina was a vampire allowed Sasha to function without being stapled to her side, unlike Alistair.

Goodwin and Sons Funeral Services had been closedfor business since the untimely demise of its owner. Meanwhile, Widow Goodwin had been cloistered in her suburban home. One might suspect a grieving widow, while Paris suspected that she’d been compelled to stay home to avoid any complications with Shea’s convenient body disposal system.

The neighborhood was pleasantly overgrown with dogwood trees, with large houses set back from the street. At least it would be easy to sneak up without being seen. He drove past her house with its Go Dawgs flag and parked in a cul-de-sac further down.

When he went to unbuckle himself,Kristina glanced at him and said, “What do you want me to do? Backup? Talk to her? Silent partner?”

“Unless I call for you, I want you to stay outside and keep watch. If Shea’s people are keeping an eye on the house, we need to be ready,” he said.

“You got it,” she said with a nod. Fiddling with her braided blonde hair, she spared a tiny smile. “Thanks for letting me help you. I know you don’t like me.”

His eyes scraped over her. “That’s not entirely true. I didn’t like you before. You’ve grown on me,” he said.Back then, who could blame him for thinking a vampire hunter wasn’t a good ally, let alone a romantic match for sweet Sasha?

“Like a fungus,” she quipped.

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